Desert spreading across Uganda
AREAS that were previously green and fertile are becoming arid, leading to crop failure and food shortage, said Stephen Muwaya, a lead expert on the implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
By Gerald Tenywa
AREAS that were previously green and fertile are becoming arid, leading to crop failure and food shortage, said Stephen Muwaya, a lead expert on the implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
“More areas that were not experiencing drought and others that were not known to be dry are rapidly getting drier,†Muwaya told The New Vision on the eve of the World Desertification Day, which is marked today.
“This means more districts are falling into what is regarded as the cattle corridor, which experiences harsh conditions.â€
He warned that the number of districts that need food assistance is on the increase. This, he noted, undermines efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, a global framework aimed at promoting human development and environmental sustainability.
He attributed the problem to desertification, a condition affecting the cattle corridor, which stretches from Ntungamo and Rakai districts in southern-western Uganda to Karamoja region.
“Most of the sub-counties that were on the edges of the cattle corridor now have arid conditions. It is no longer possible to depend on cultivation so people are turning to rearing cattle.â€
Districts facing desertification include Ntungamo, Isingiro, Mbarara, Sembabule, Masaka, Lyatonde, Mubende, Luweero, Nakasongola, Masindi, Apac, Katakwi,
Soroti, Amuria, Kayunga, Mukono, Kamuli, Kaliro, Iganga and Pallisa.
The proportion of Uganda covered by semi-arid conditions was estimated to be 40% in 1996. Today, it is estimated at 51%, housing 40% of the population. Muwaya pointed out that desertification, which affects 250 million people directly and threatens another one billion, is a major global challenge.
In dry land areas, a low level of fertile soil covers the ground, he explained.When such land is subject to the harsh effects of climate change or inappropriate land management practices, such as overgrazing, logging for charcoal and felling of trees, the soil is swept away and the land is no longer productive.
He warned that desertification could lead to drastic reductions in the capacity of the land to provide food, water and natural resources.
“Those living in dry land areas may suffer from loss of income and livelihood, famine, forced migration, and conflicts or war over scarce resources.â€
Asked what the Government was going to do to address the problem, agriculture minister Hilary Onek announced that a new policy was being drafted that would promote development among pastoral communities in the cattle corridor.
“There is growing evidence that poverty, desertification, land degradation and drought will worsen with increased climate change. The policy will be addressing issues to do with sustainable use of the dry land areas,†he said.
He cited Sembabule as one of the districts where sustainable land management initiatives had been introduced at the community level.
“This experience will be extended to five other districts this year with the assistance of the Government of Norway and the United Nations Development Programme,†he added.
AREAS that were previously green and fertile are becoming arid, leading to crop failure and food shortage, said Stephen Muwaya, a lead expert on the implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
“More areas that were not experiencing drought and others that were not known to be dry are rapidly getting drier,†Muwaya told The New Vision on the eve of the World Desertification Day, which is marked today.
“This means more districts are falling into what is regarded as the cattle corridor, which experiences harsh conditions.â€
He warned that the number of districts that need food assistance is on the increase. This, he noted, undermines efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, a global framework aimed at promoting human development and environmental sustainability.
He attributed the problem to desertification, a condition affecting the cattle corridor, which stretches from Ntungamo and Rakai districts in southern-western Uganda to Karamoja region.
“Most of the sub-counties that were on the edges of the cattle corridor now have arid conditions. It is no longer possible to depend on cultivation so people are turning to rearing cattle.â€
Districts facing desertification include Ntungamo, Isingiro, Mbarara, Sembabule, Masaka, Lyatonde, Mubende, Luweero, Nakasongola, Masindi, Apac, Katakwi,
Soroti, Amuria, Kayunga, Mukono, Kamuli, Kaliro, Iganga and Pallisa.
The proportion of Uganda covered by semi-arid conditions was estimated to be 40% in 1996. Today, it is estimated at 51%, housing 40% of the population. Muwaya pointed out that desertification, which affects 250 million people directly and threatens another one billion, is a major global challenge.
In dry land areas, a low level of fertile soil covers the ground, he explained.When such land is subject to the harsh effects of climate change or inappropriate land management practices, such as overgrazing, logging for charcoal and felling of trees, the soil is swept away and the land is no longer productive.
He warned that desertification could lead to drastic reductions in the capacity of the land to provide food, water and natural resources.
“Those living in dry land areas may suffer from loss of income and livelihood, famine, forced migration, and conflicts or war over scarce resources.â€
Asked what the Government was going to do to address the problem, agriculture minister Hilary Onek announced that a new policy was being drafted that would promote development among pastoral communities in the cattle corridor.
“There is growing evidence that poverty, desertification, land degradation and drought will worsen with increased climate change. The policy will be addressing issues to do with sustainable use of the dry land areas,†he said.
He cited Sembabule as one of the districts where sustainable land management initiatives had been introduced at the community level.
“This experience will be extended to five other districts this year with the assistance of the Government of Norway and the United Nations Development Programme,†he added.